Boeing Commits $100m For Families Of 737 Max Victims, Says Those Who Benefit From The Funds Not Required To Abandon Lawsuits

American aerospace multinational Boeing has pledged $100 million to help address the needs of the families and communities of the hundreds of victims who perished in two Boeing 737 Max crashes last year, Financial Express reports.

The gift will “support education, hardship and living expenses for impacted families, community programs, and economic development in impacted communities,” Boeing announced, adding that the company will work with local governments, nonprofits and community groups to award the money.

“We at Boeing are sorry for the tragic loss of lives in both of these accidents and these lives lost will continue to weigh heavily on our hearts and on our minds for years to come,” read a statement from Boeing chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg.

“The families and loved ones of those on board have our deepest sympathies, and we hope this initial outreach can help bring them comfort,” the statement added.

“We know every person who steps aboard one of our aircraft places their trust in us. We are focused on re-earning that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the months ahead,” Muilenberg said.

The United States (US) Aerospace manufacturer also said that the families who benefit from the funds will not be required to abandon lawsuits against Boeing.

Boeing also called its $100 million pledge as an “initial investment”. It said the final amount could be higher as its employees will be able to make donations, which will then be matched by the company by the end of this year.

Boeing is facing several lawsuits from the families of victims of the two accidents — the crash of a Lion Air flight off Indonesia last October and that of an Ethiopian Airlines plane in March. The family of a United Nations-worker Joanna Toole, a British national, initiated legal action in a federal court in Chicago against Boeing.

Lion Air Flight 610 crashed in October in the Java Sea, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in March after take-off from Addis Ababa, claiming 346 lives in total, and sparking a slew of lawsuits against the aircraft manufacturer, accusing the company of “a catalogue of serious failures”.

The crashes resulted in Boeing 737 Max flights being grounded around the world, including in the US. The role played by US aviation safety agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in awarding safety certification for the plane, has also come under scrutiny.

Boeing has released software updates for the anti-stall system that was identified as the source of problems in both the crashes, but aviation regulators across the world have still not cleared it for its return to the skies.